Eyes Rimmed with Red
by silver blood
Summary: Jess is thinking about Rory... and something happens. Character death. R/J UPDATED
1. Death

Jess stared at the patterns on the ground. The slivers of light cast from the window   
sent a blue glow through the darkened room. He watched the stripes slowly move   
towards him as the sun rose. All the sudden, his thoughts were interrupted by the harsh   
sound of his alarm. Startled, he punched it harder than necessary, sending it flying into   
the wall. He laughed slightly, a maniacal glint in his eye.  
  
He was scared.  
  
His crazy mother had to call, asking him to come home. All night he had lain in the same   
position, his hand over his heart, on top of his bed, watching the shadows change.  
  
He had a lot more in Stars Hollow than was waiting for him in New York.   
  
But really, did he?  
  
What was there for him in Stars Hollow? Other than Luke and Rory, there was nothing   
there. His only friend wasn't exactly talking to him. She'd come back from Washington   
expecting him to be waiting for her, but he wasn't. She found him in the arms of one of   
the prettiest, blondest people he could possibly stand.   
  
He thought back to that moment, and regretted it. She had looked into his eyes, expecting   
to see guilt, or at least regret. But what she saw was triumph. Pure, uncaring, smug   
triumph. Whether or not she knew it was a mask, Jess wasn't sure. But he saw it in her   
eyes.  
  
Rory was hurting.   
  
Jess felt a burning in his gut. He had just stood there and watched tear after tear roll down   
her face. Shadows had fallen behind her eyes, and he could almost feel her heart break.   
And he stood there and watched, still the same look on his face.   
  
And as he stood tall and broke her heart… for the first time, he was ashamed.  
  
He was ashamed of what he'd done to that perfect, innocent, little girl. He broke her   
heart.   
  
Jess slammed his fist into his pillow and rolled out of bed.  
  
He'd broken her freaking heart, and lost his only friend. Jess closed his eyes as he pulled   
a gray T-shirt over his head. He ran his hands through his hair and walked downstairs to   
the diner.   
  
There, sitting at a table alone, was the perfect image of Rory Gilmore, with her head in   
her arms, and her shoulders shaking. Jess sat down across from her silently, but there was   
no doubt in his mind that she knew he was there. Jess watched her carefully.  
  
After awhile, he saw bright blue eyes, rimmed heavily with red, peeking up at him. At   
this point, he was scared. It wasn't until then that he noticed that almost no one was in the   
diner. Not Luke, not Ceasar, and no customers that he knew except Rory. Something was   
very, very wrong.   
  
"Rory?"  
  
Silence. He glanced at the back of Rory's head, which was buried in her arms again. He   
could hear her gasping for air, violent sobs coming surprisingly loudly from her small   
frame. Jess's heart started racing, and he could barely think. Finally, Rory spoke between   
her sobs.  
  
"She's dead."  
  
Jess didn't have to ask who, because he could see it in Rory's eyes even before she said   
it. He moved around the table and sat next to her in the booth. His arms were around her   
before another second passed. With her head buried in his chest and her hands clinging   
tightly to his shirt… she cried. She simply cried…As a realization washed over him, Jess   
felt tears form behind his eyes.  
  
She was dead.  
  
Lorelai Gilmore was dead.   
  
TBC  
A/N: PLEASE r&r!!!! 


	2. Daisies

Lorelai Gilmore had a beautiful funeral.   
  
Red roses were everywhere, with a few yellow daisies mixed in here and there. Dean   
wasn't there, but Jess was. He held Rory's hand throughout the service, not letting go of   
her long enough for her to fall apart and cry. There would be infinite time for that once   
out of the public eye.   
  
Rory would never forget the day her mother died. She had come home to find her mother   
on the couch in the living room, a knife protruding from her chest. There was bright,   
crimson blood everywhere. The bright color of red was burned into her mind. Rory had   
checked her mother's pulse, and found her hand to be cold. She could feel the bile rising   
in her throat and, tears streaming down her cheeks, she called 911.   
  
That day she lost the most important person in her life. In the next week, she lost Dean,   
but gained Jess. Dean pushed her to be with him all the time, while Jess always seemed to   
be there when she needed him. She had told Dean she needed space, and he got angry,   
calling her a slut, and accusing her of wanting Jess. She didn't deny it, and Jess had   
already decided to break up with Shane. The timing was perfect to finally get together,   
but they didn't. As a friend, Jess comforted Rory as best he knew how.  
  
The funeral was over, and Jess and Rory were sitting across the table from Christopher in   
a booth at Luke's. Jess was lightly holding Rory's hand, and sitting almost silently, not   
wanting to cause any disturbance, because he knew Rory's dad didn't like him. Luke had   
offered to let Rory live with him, so she could spend the rest of her senior year living in   
Stars' Hollow, and attend Chilton. Christopher agreed that, though he desperately wanted   
her to live with him, living with Luke was what was best for her.   
  
A week later, Chris left. Rory moved her things into Luke's. She cried as she closed the   
door of the house she'd grown up in for the last time. Jess was there with her. As he   
drove her back to Luke's, she continued to cry. They pulled into the back lot. Jess   
glanced at Rory, his heart breaking as he watched her shoulders shake violently. He   
wrapped his arm around her and held her once more as she cried. 


	3. Running Out of Time

A/N: Sorry it took so long for me to update, but I lost track of all my stories for a while...   
  
Enjoy! And PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review!  
  
**ONE MONTH LATER**  
  
Rory opened her eyes slowly. It took her a second to remember where she was and why.   
  
She glanced around the room Luke had built for her. It was on the bottom floor of the   
  
building next to the diner. It was beautifully decorated, with new carpeting and paint and   
  
Rory's bed. There was a door on the right leading to the staircase, where Jess and Luke   
  
lived, and a door across the room that led right into the diner.   
  
She glanced at the alarm clock next to her bed; it was nearly four in the morning. Rory   
  
climbed out of bed, pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She had taken to getting up   
  
early in the mornings, since she could no longer sleep for a full eight hours. Every night   
  
was filled with nightmares. About her mother, her future, her mother's murderer.  
  
They still hadn't caught the man who murdered Lorelai Leigh Gilmore.  
  
At first they'd ruled it suicide, but everyone in the town knew it wasn't possible. All the   
  
clues seemed to point to it; there was nothing missing, and no sign of forced entry. Yet no   
  
one in Stars' Hollow believed it.   
  
Then they found fingerprints on the knife; a man that had killed several other women in   
  
the last year, but was yet to be caught.   
  
Rory closed her eyes, rubbing sleep out of them. She opened the door to the diner quietly,   
  
starting her routine of coffee, read, coffee all over again.   
  
"Hey."  
  
Rory jumped, startled. She turned to face the familiar voice. He was behind the counter,   
  
leaning against it with a book in his hand.   
  
"Hey, Jess, what are you doing up so early?"  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"Couldn't sleep… You okay?"  
  
Rory turned away. She knew that her eyes were rimmed with red, as they were every   
  
morning. Tears for her mother, herself, anyone who had lost someone they loved. She sat   
  
down on the nearest stool.  
  
"Yeah, just tired."  
  
Over the last month, Rory and Jess had gotten closer than ever. There were seldom times   
  
when they were alone, or without the other. Even Lane and Jess had become friends,   
  
thought not as close as either was with Rory. They were just friends, but there were times   
  
that Jess had wondered if that was what she wanted…  
  
Jess came out from behind the counter. He sat next to Rory and took her hand. They sat   
  
for a few moments in comfortable silence before Rory spoke.  
  
"We don't have much time left."  
  
Jess glanced at her curiously but waited for her to continue.  
  
"Before we die, I mean. There's not time to pretend in life. There's only time to live. But   
  
are we living? I mean, honestly. If we pass up opportunities now we could die without   
  
ever having said what needs to be said, or doing what needs to be done."  
  
Her eyes were filling with tears as Jess watched.  
  
"My mom died without ever being able to tell Luke that she loved him. She died without   
  
ever seeing me graduate, or get married, or have kids. She died way too soon, but there   
  
has to be a reason for it. There has to be! But why her? She had so much living to do…   
  
I'm tired of wasting time pretending, Jess. Pretending to be okay and not care about   
  
everything in this town. I'm tired of everyone treating me like damaged goods because   
  
they're afraid to say something I might not want to hear. I don't want people to pretend   
  
anymore! I can handle hearing the truth!"  
  
Jess took a deep breath. He would never get used to her rants. She was so honest in what   
  
she said, and he enjoyed them, but they also scared him to a great extent. He knew she'd   
  
never be the same, but she wasn't broken. She was still Rory, and he still loved her.   
  
"Jess, tell me how you feel."  
  
He stared at her in shock.   
  
"Tell you how I- but- wait- what?"  
  
She smiled softly.  
  
"About me. About us. Tell me how you feel; what you want."  
  
Jess sighed.  
  
"You're my best friend, Rory, I mean… I love our relationship. I always want to be here   
  
for you. And maybe some day I can be here as more… I mean, no pressure or anything,   
  
just someday. I do love you Rory, honestly. As a friend and more."   
  
Rory leaned over and brushed her lips against his.   
  
"I love you, Jess."  
  
TBC??? Should I continue???  
  
(sorry it's so short) 


End file.
